36 replies to this topic

[Astrola72]

Again, thank you all for the wealth of information! Paul, I stand corrected, you are right it is a 76mm aperture, 700mm fl reflector. I sent her 3 books: Turn Left at Orion, Nightwatch and The Backyard Astronomer's Guide. She will at least get some good reads. I can't be there with her, so I don't know how far this will get. We'll see.

 

Joe

[WillR]

Odd they wouldn't consult you. Oh well. I was going to recommend Nightwatch as a good compromise between hands on astronomy and a little theory. I see you have already ordered three. Great choices!!

[Paul Sweeney]

Paul, I stand corrected, you are right it is a 76mm aperture, 700mm fl reflector.

Joe

I meant that as a reference to the Polaroid advertising material. They list it as a 76/700 60mm reflector. Talk about confusing! The person who wrote that probably had no experience with telescopes and therefore didn't know what they were writing. Apparently nobody at Polaroid noticed it either.

Edited by Paul Sweeney, 18 January 2023 - 12:56 AM.

[TeslaTrek]

I must add H. E. Rey's "Stars a New Way To See Them".  It is a real oldie.  Amazon states 1962.    He redraws the constellations as a modern person might.  Think about it,  we all start with the constellations.  And I agree whole heartedly to use "Night Watch"

 

If she shows any interest, (which I hate to say is statistically is unlikely,)  but if she does, (fingers crossed)  I'm sure you know you should recommend a Dob telescope, preferably around 10".  If that doesn't grab her then she will have other interests.  But then again, just feed her in whatever direction... maybe she's really interested in zoology.  Don't be sad.  Be happy she found a passion!!!!!

[CarolinaBanker]

Maybe a decent moon map? Touring the Universe with Binoculars, Binocular Highlights or Discover the Night Sky Through Binoculars? All are geared towards binos, but there’s likely substantial overlap between the capabilities of the scope and a pair of binos.

[vtornado]

Regarding the moon, I like 21st century atlas of the moon (wood & collins).  I use it often.

 

It really demands a telescope, because many of the features need around 100x

and you have to be able to hold the scope steady.  It does not take a "giant" scope

to find most of the objects.  A 60mm refractor will do.

[rrpallechio]

Does she live close? My 9 year old grandson is my observing buddy and we both have a great time.

[Jsg]

I was happy with Backyard Astronomers Guide but parts might be a bit techy for a 14 year old.

[rrpallechio]

I saw this list today. Not really for beginners ...

https://astronomy.co...oks-of-all-time

[Philip Jodry]

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Peter Freuchen's Book of the Seven Seas.

[WillR]

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Peter Freuchen's Book of the Seven Seas.

There's always a wise guy in every crowd. 

[Ionthesky]

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Peter Freuchen's Book of the Seven Seas.

 

There's always a wise guy in every crowd. 

...and a smart aleck reply to a Mod!  Where does it end?  

 

(I'm going to assume that Philip just read and replied to the title , and didn't read the text of the OP's query...)

Edited by Ionthesky, 26 January 2023 - 01:02 AM.